Author Topic: How To Upgrade The Simpad  (Read 7812 times)

gadgetfreak

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How To Upgrade The Simpad
« on: August 02, 2005, 03:53:13 pm »
Can anyone give a link for an upgrade from win CE 3.0 to winCE 4.1 (English version)?


All I can find are broken links  

offroadgeek

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How To Upgrade The Simpad
« Reply #1 on: August 02, 2005, 04:25:48 pm »
Quote
Can anyone give a link for an upgrade from win CE 3.0 to winCE 4.1 (English version)?


All I can find are broken links 
[div align=\"right\"][a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=90538\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a][/div]
This forum is for OpenSimpad (linux on simpad) support, not for win ce support.
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tombraider

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How To Upgrade The Simpad
« Reply #2 on: August 02, 2005, 06:13:42 pm »
Quote
Can anyone give a link for an upgrade from win CE 3.0 to winCE 4.1 (English version)?


All I can find are broken links 
[div align=\"right\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a][/div]

Here:  [a href=\"http://www.hpcfactor.com/ftp-root/updates/Windows%20CE%204-1/siemens/SIMpad%20SL4/S842-SI-INT-152%20SL4]http://www.hpcfactor.com/ftp-root/updates/...I-INT-152%20SL4[/url]
Here: http://simpad.pdaclub.pl/image/sl4_winCEnet41_ENG
And installation instructions here: http://www.thomas.miglinci.name/simpad/ar01s04.html

Just be sure to have the SIMpad turned off when you connect by serial port to load the bootloader.  I had it turned ON and it took me awhile to figure out why it wasn't working.
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gadgetfreak

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« Reply #3 on: August 03, 2005, 08:34:39 am »
Thank you 'tombraider'!

I appreciate if you (or anybody else) can clarify a few issues:

- I suppose that the first 2 links contain a similar image, and that the file should be renamed to have a '.bin' extention. Is this correct?

- Is it possible to backup the current OS (before the upgrade), to be able to restore it (just in case)?

- What are the booloader and the alternative boot loader? Do I need to dowload them from somewhere?

Thank you so much!

tombraider

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« Reply #4 on: August 03, 2005, 09:39:22 am »
Quote
Thank you 'tombraider'!

I appreciate if you (or anybody else) can clarify a few issues:

- I suppose that the first 2 links contain a similar image, and that the file should be renamed to have a '.bin' extention. Is this correct?

- Is it possible to backup the current OS (before the upgrade), to be able to restore it (just in case)?

- What are the booloader and the alternative boot loader? Do I need to dowload them from somewhere?

Thank you so much!
[div align=\"right\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a][/div]

I believe if the flash does not "work" the original OS is left intact but don't know if you can restore once you have successfully flashed.  4.1 is WAY better in many ways...don't think you would want to go back.

My memory is a little hazy on the procedure but I don't think it was necessary to rename those files at all. I used S842-SI-INT-152 SL4
The 2 bootloader files should be available from links on the "installation" page I think...or maybe through a Google search you can find them.
Here's a link to a thread on flashing to 4.1:
[a href=\"http://www.hpcfactor.com/forums/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=1738&posts=6]http://www.hpcfactor.com/forums/forums/thr...id=1738&posts=6[/url]

The basic steps as told by Snappy (a great detailed posting in that thread) are:
"A2. On your PC. eg, you have in c:\sl4
- serload.exe
- loader_bl (boot loader 1)
- loader_bl.alt (boot loader 2)
- S842-SI-INT-152 SL4 (4.1 image file)


1. click on Start->Run and type "cmd"
2. goto sl4 directory
3. type serload loader_bl
if you get an error opening COM1, disable ActiveSync on COM1, retry.
you should get to the "Press RESET!" step.
4. You should have your SL4 connected to your PC via serial cable. After you reset, the boot loader should be uploaded/flashed in.
5. Upon completion, press CTRL-C at the cmd prompt (black window)
6. Type serload "S842-SI-INT-152 SL4" and press enter.
TIP: type "serload S842" and press TAB. The command will auto complete for you with the quotes in. Press enter.
7. Reset your SL4. It should start loading the image. If it fails and ask you to use the other image go back to step 3 and type "serload loader_bl.alt" instead.
8. If the image starts to load, go and get a cup of coffee and a cupcake, make that a double. Relax and read some papers (for pete's sake! ) ...
9. Post some niceties on hpcfactor.com forum.
10. Check to make sure everything is still working. And remember to have the SL4 on AC. You don't want anything to fail during a flash procedure, especially during the boot loader flashing. Best to do it with a notebook with good battery.

11. Flashing from hpc2k to 4.1 should not require HyperTerminal at all. But if flashing fails, goto step 15.
12. Once flashing is complete successfully, unplug serial cable and reset. *IF IT FAILED*, press CTRL-C and go back to step 6 to retry. It failed on me once on the very last write operation. A retry succeeded.
13. You should be greeted with a 4.1 image and a sequence to setup your SL4. Enjoi!


15. Make sure serload is no longer running. Press CTRL-C if it is.
16. Start HyperTerminal (HT).
17. Choose any name for the connection
18. Setup connection as in step4 picture
19. Reset SL4. You should be greeted on HT with a Siemens bootloader 2.5.3 screen.
20. Press "Y" to erase flash. close HT.
21. Goto step 6 to proceed with flashing in 4.1 image

A3. the filename and extension does not matter. When you do a serload, you specify the filename, so just make sure you get the filename right.

A4. See above procedure."

Now I need to exit stage right before I get chastised for posting Windows CE info on a Linux forum.  
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gadgetfreak

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« Reply #5 on: August 03, 2005, 10:43:15 am »
Tombraider,

Your post deserves an A+

Thank you!

Snappy

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How To Upgrade The Simpad
« Reply #6 on: August 03, 2005, 11:29:29 am »
> - I suppose that the first 2 links contain a similar image, and that the file should be renamed to have a '.bin' extention. Is this correct?

The extension is arbitary. The loader (serload) just pick up whatever file you point it to and upload to the SL4. You can basically upload anything actually ... just that if you upload anything else other than a valid image, your SL4 will just stay in the Happy colorful checked screen on reseting!

oh, and if your upload somehow kills the bootloader with an invalid bootloader, then your SL4 is moot. And then JTag is the only option.

> - Is it possible to backup the current OS (before the upgrade), to be able to restore it (just in case)?

Yes, its possible. The default for SL4 would be hpc2000 image. There are hpc2000 image around and since the license is paid for in the cost of the SL4 by Siemens to use either ones, you just have to find the rom and flash it.

There are some threads on hpcfactor.com forum about flashing the images.

> - What are the booloader and the alternative boot loader? Do I need to dowload them from somewhere?

The bootloader is a small program in the flash rom that is like the BIOS in your PC/notebook. It basically initializes some basic i/o for the peripherals and prob do some basic tests, then proceeds to attempt to load an image from the flash rom to the SDRAM and then hands over execution to the boot sequence of the OS in the SDRAM.

You may download them from ...
http://www.opensimpad.org/downloads.0.html
Snappy!
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gadgetfreak

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« Reply #7 on: August 04, 2005, 05:15:39 am »
Snappy,

Thank you for all the great info.

user32000

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« Reply #8 on: August 31, 2005, 12:45:04 pm »
Does anyone know what happened to hpcfactor.com?  I've been trying since this morning to get to their pages but only get a "connection refused"?